They Knew
by SecondAlternateLieutenant
Summary: Just a fluffy Jily two-shot.
1. He Knew

**He Knew**

"Seriously, Evans?"

"Problem, Potter?"

They stood at odds again, the other students skirting them in the crowded hallway as if it was a daily occurrence. And really, it was. Lily Evans and James Potter had been rivals since first year, and had only become more interesting in fourth year when he started asking her out on top of arguing with her.

Today was no different from most other days, James was staring at her with a blank face, his long robes hanging around his school uniform, but Lily looked a little different. Her usually tied back red hair was straightened and fell around her head in straight sheets, her robes missing. The skirt around her waist was riding a little higher than it should be, and the buttons on her white shirt were open, her tie loose.

"You, you shouldn't dress like that." He sputtered, red lighting his cheeks.

"Since when do you have a say in what I wear?" Lily asked innocently, shrugging her bag on her shoulder and turning on her low heels. James merely gaped at her as she turned and walked away from him, her footsteps clicking as she left the large throng of students heading for the great hall.

"Bloody hell." James swore and took off after her, getting amused looks from his friends as he abandoned them in favor of the redhead. "Oi! Evans!" He called after her as they got into the dungeons of the castle, she didn't stop for anything. "Will you stop?"

"No." She sounded stern as she continued away from him, her hips swaying in the most alluring manner. Damn she was sexy. James shrugged off his robes, shrank them, and stuffed the handkerchief sized fabric in his own bag, not wanting to bother with the excessive fabric at this moment.

"Evans." James snapped at her, his temper wearing thin. He wasn't sure how long he'd been referring to her as 'his', but her showing quite this much skin wasn't acceptable. He'd been able to see almost to her hips in that short skirt, which meant every other bloke in the room could too. And even a few birds if they were so inclined.

"Potter." Her tone had changed from apathetic to sing-song quickly, making him falter once, but he kept after her.

Finally, after he turned a last corner there was only one door left. It was an old forgotten classroom that he and the Marauders had used a time or two to plan out their pranks, or just get away from the rest of the castle. James ventured forward slowly; eyes catching the redhead now perched on what had once been a Professor's desk at the front of the classroom. "Evans." He frowned at her, eyes stuck on her long white legs crossed, hanging off the desk, a seductive smile on her face.

"Yes?" Lily had her hands on the desk, leaning forward, more of her shirt hanging open.

"You… you should…" James tried to think of the right words to say, but the thoughts vanished from his head at the sight of her sitting there. He dropped his bag in the doorway and moved forward slowly, taking deliberate steps for her. She didn't move, but her eyes stayed on his as he approached her, leaning up only when his chest was in her face. "Lily." James placed his hands on her arms and slid them up to her shoulders where the tips of her red hair was fanned around her.

"Potter." Mischief glittered in her eyes as she said his surname, their mouths a breath apart.

"Evans." James teased back and slid one hand to her back, nearly losing it when she arched her back, pressing her chest against his. The heat of her body radiated against his, his head swimming with hazy feelings for her. "You're killing me." The groan was genuine, his head dipping down to match her height.

"I know." She leaned up, her voice soft. She brushed her lips against his cheek as she moved her mouth near his ear. "Serves you right, too."

"What?" James pulled back, completely bewildered as the seductive smile disappeared, a glare in its place. Lily slid off of the desk and slipped from under his arm and for the door. "You…" He stared after her in shock. He stayed in the classroom, staring after where Lily Evans had sauntered away. She'd deliberately worn something revealing, lured him into an empty classroom, came within a breath of her, and left him. That minx. "Bloody hell." He fell onto the desk where Lily had been sitting and waited.

It took nearly five hours, and missing his two afternoon classes before his four friends came into the room and found him lying on the desk, legs hanging listlessly, staring at the ceiling.

"Pay up Wormtail." A lazy voice drawled as they entered. "I knew Evans wouldn't give him any."

"Damn." Wormtail muttered. "How'd you know that Padfoot?"

"She's teasing him." The fourth person replied instead. "What'd she do to you?" He asked James who made no movements.

"I love her."

"We know." Sirius rolled his eyes and fell onto one of the student's desks. "You tell us daily."

"But I love her." James sat straight up as his friends rolled their eyes and sat around him. "She just dressed like that, teased me, and walked away."

"Bad luck Prongs." Remus tried to make him feel better, but James was still grinning.

"She likes me." James looked insane with the realization. "She wouldn't go to all that trouble, if she didn't like me."

"So you're saying Evans has taken on your mentality when it comes to relationships." Sirius raised one elegant eyebrow.

James sat up and faced his friends, legs brushing the ground. "She's taunting me, which means on some level, she likes me."

"Way deep inside." Remus commented with a short laugh.

"Since when is a girl screwing with you, a good thing?" Peter asked from the corner, confused as to James' attitude.

"When you're in a broom closet, mate." Sirius grinned, kicking back.

"That's not for Lily." James decided, standing up, his face serious. "She deserves better than broom cabinets."

"She also deserves better than you shouting at her in the corridors." Remus pointed out and James froze, the smile on his face slipping.

"I did do that, didn't I?" He looked odd for a moment. "I wonder where she went?" James looked to the door for a moment, thinking off into space.

"She went to potions, but skipped charms." Sirius reported as best mates did. "Not that she needs charms, being best in our year." He shrugged.

"She's probably in our dorm." James determined and went for his bag, scooped it up and left the room without looking back; his mind filled with thoughts of the redhead he hoped was holed up in her room as usual. He went to the sixth floor corridor to the statue of Durward the Dangerous and tapped his wand on its head twice. "Cauldron Scum." He grinned at the password. Lily hated it, but it amused him to hear her say the word 'scum'.

The dorm was made up of four rooms, two bedrooms on opposing sides of a circular common room with a bathroom as the fourth door in the circular room. It was unplottable and therefore didn't exist on the Marauder's Map, but they'd known it was there, and tried many times to add it. James scowled at the empty common room and went to his bedroom on the left side and threw his things on the floor. Annoyed he was wrong about Lily's whereabouts; he shrugged off his shirt and went for the bathroom, going through the common room.

"Is this revenge?" Lily's voice squeaked as she attempted to be witty, but her eyes were trained on his bare chest. Quidditch had been nice to him, giving him more muscles than most teenage boys could ever dream of having, and Lily was staring.

"Yes." It wasn't, but James had to think on his feet, and judging how Lily was now wearing a thin white camisole, _without_ a bra and a pair of black cotton shorts. "And I hope you're ready to go."

"Go where?" Lily narrowed her eyes at him.

"Azkaban for killing me." James responded, obviously eyeing the little black shorts where they sat high on her thighs, low on her hips. His eyes travelled up, skimming over her chest and moving to her lips, dropped open in surprise. "You." He muttered and stepped forward, grabbed her waist and pushed her against the wall. Lily gasped in surprise, her emerald eyes widening in shock as his body pressed hers against the wall.

"James." His name escaped her mouth as she stared up at him, her hands landing on his arms.

"I'm sorry for this." James muttered before leaning in and pushed his mouth against hers. Lily froze as he kissed her, but with one swipe of his tongue across her closed lips, a sound escaped her and her mouth dropped open against his. Lily groaned against his mouth and pushed back, letting loose as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

As her arms wrapped around his neck, James delved deeper into her mouth, his hands settling on her hips, holding them against his. Lily stepped back and pulled her with him, but James took control and pushed her onto the couch, falling over her and kissing her solidly. Lily's hands slipped through his hair as their snogging continued on the horizontal level. He pulled himself from her lips and scattered kisses on her jaw and down her neck to her collarbone where he lazily kissed the hollow of her neck and traced his tongue along her throat.

"James." She gasped, her hands raking through his hair. The weakness in her voice spurred him on, as he released a groan and slid the straps of her camisole aside and kissed her shoulders. "James." This time his name was a warning.

"Shh it's ok." James murmured. "Just tell me." He barely removed his lips from her skin as he spoke but lifted his head to look into her green eyes. "Tell me you feel something." He pleaded, all pretenses abandoned. "Please, Lily." He murmured, feeling the most vulnerable he'd ever felt in his life.

"James." She breathed out, her eyes opening as far as she could get them. They were dark with passion and emotion as she looked up at him. "James, I don't… I don't know."

"Then why did you dress like that today?" He begged, using one hand to prop himself over her, the other stroking her arm.

"To annoy you." Lily answered honestly, taking a deep breath.

"It worked."

"I know." A smile grew onto her face.

"Mulciber had his eyes on you." James scowled at her. "I hate that."

"I'm not your possession, James." Lily narrowed her eyes under him.

"But I care about you." James muttered, reaching up and brushing her cheek with his knuckles. "I don't want his dirty eyes looking at you. You're beautiful."

"James." Lily shook her head slowly and moved to get out from under him, but James held her still. "I can't…"

"You can." He murmured and leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to her mouth. "Lily, I love you." He sounded pathetic again, but honest. "This isn't a schoolboy infatuation. Anymore I mean." He grinned weakly as she smiled up at him.

"I don't know if I love you." Lily whispered softly, her hand brushing against his cheek.

"That's ok." James murmured.

"It's not ok, you love me." Lily whispered, fear lighting every inch of her face. "You love me and I maybe, sort of, have feelings for you."

"That's enough for now." James murmured and kissed her forehead gently. "I've been waiting for you for years; I can wait a little longer."

"Are you sure?" Lily looked up at him with surprise written on her face.

"I'd wait for you forever." James kissed her nose lightly and rolled off of her, kneeling at the end of the couch, just over her feet. "But I hope it doesn't take forever."

"It shouldn't." Lily pulled herself up to a sitting position. "I went from hating you to having real feelings for you since the beginning of term."

A smile formed on James' face. "I can help you." He offered and held out his hand. "I'm going to need your cooperation at least."

Lily looked at his hand for a few minutes before she placed her own soft hand in his. "Ok." She nodded slowly. Their eyes held as he leaned toward her, leaning her back onto the couch and pushing his mouth back to hers. She opened her mouth easily this time, letting him explore her mouth, his hands stroking her arms, one sliding down to her thigh and resting just above her knee. "James." Lily breathed his name when they parted.

"Yes?" He asked, smiling at her obligingly.

"I feel like I could love you." She murmured. "That's the best I can do."

"I can deal with that." James grinned and kissed her again, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I love you, Lily Evans." He made the oath before kissing her again, losing himself in the beautiful redhead's innocently sensual responses to his kissing.

Hours later James was still laying on the couch, the beautiful woman of his dreams in his arms. Lily was asleep now, her body completely relaxed against his, her head resting on his chest, mouth slack in her sleep. She was still wearing the skimpy clothes, but pressed against him, nestled in his arms like she belonged there. Because she did belong there. James placed a soft kiss on her forehead, smiling when Lily snuggled up to him in her sleep, the pair of them perfectly comfortable on the sofa. He had transfigured it so that it was larger to fit them both comfortably, even though they were up in each other's personal space. Lily was his world, and he would love her until the end of it.


	2. She Knew

**She Knew**

"You and Potter?"

"Shh!" Lily shushed her best friend by clamping her hand over Marlene's mouth. "Shh!" She repeated for good measure, Marlene's wide brown eyes staring at her in shock.

"You _slept_ with James Potter?" Marlene lowered her voice considerably.

"No!" Lily flushed red at the memory. "Well yes, no Marlene." She snapped as the brunette opened her mouth to shout again. "We fell asleep on the couch, nothing happened."

"Why the bloody hell not?" Marlene grinned wickedly at Lily as she sashayed through the empty corridor, her friend following her, red staining her pale cheeks. They'd just left the Great Hall after dinner, Lily finally admitting once they were alone why she and James had been making eye contact and blushing every other minute of the meal.

"Because I don't love him." Lily protested, feeling less and less sure that was true.

"Since when is love a requirement to shag?"

"There are so many things wrong with that statement." Lily groaned and shook her head, following Marlene's progress toward Lily's dorm. She stopped outside the statue and waited for the Head Girl to open it as she was one of two people who could enter, password or not. She poked her head inside and breathed a sigh of relief that James wasn't around and let Marlene in after her, the two girls going for Lily's room and falling on the bed.

"Come on Lils, don't be such a prude." Marlene rolled her eyes and threw her robe on the chair before she twisted and fell on her back on the bed. Lily glared down at her friend as she loosened her tie and kicked off her shoes.

"Just because other girls are willing to give it up to the first bloke that looks at them twice, doesn't mean I will." Lily fell into the plush chair in the corner, hanging her head over the arm.

"You're an odd girl, it's not like Potter hasn't done it." Marlene rolled her eyes.

"That was his choice." Lily frowned and stared at the wall, focusing on counting the number of threads coming out from the end of the tapestry hanging on the wall instead of thinking of the number of sexual partners James had had before.

"You don't believe that." Marlene grinned wickedly at Lily who scowled and pulled her transfiguration book from her bag and cracked it open to the chapter they were supposed to be reading and started. Marlene rolled her eyes and went for her Charms essay, knowing that once Lily was studying, there was nothing that would distract her. Maybe. "Oi! Potter!"

The second the words left Marlene's mouth, Lily started and looked up at her door with wide eyes were James was approaching it, looking curiously amused. "Yes, Mason?" He was grinning in the doorway and looking just at Marlene, avoiding the armchair in the corner.

"Lily and I were just discussing if you're hotter before or after Quidditch, right Lils?" Marlene threw a grin over at her best friend.

Lily blushed to the roots of her hair as James looked to her with a grin on his face. "No, I was reading, she might be thinking that."

"I'm hurt, Evans." James teased her good naturedly, leaning against the doorframe. "You don't think I'm fetching in my Quidditch rags?"

Lily felt her face radiate heat and buried it in her book without another word, not caring if Marlene and James both laughed at her.

"Oh, come on Potter, give her a kiss." Marlene grinned evilly at him. He chuckled, but shook his head.

"Can't, there's a ward on the room." James demonstrated by hitting the invisible wall with his fist. "Apparently they don't trust the Heads to keep out of each other's rooms."

"Or Dumbledore knows more than we think." Marlene grinned and pulled her Charms essay closer.

"Marlene, get out." Lily snapped her book shut, surprising both of her companions. When the brunette on the bed didn't move, Lily stood up and threw the girl's things in her bag and threw them at her. "Go."

"Fine." Marlene grinned as she sauntered past James. "Have fun shagging." She called before leaving the Head's dorm completely.

"Oh Merlin." Lily felt her face flush again, her face hitting her palms.

"Lily." James murmured from the door. "It's ok; I told you I'd wait."

"I know." She moaned and rammed into him, her head hitting his chest. She felt his chest rumble with laughter under her head where it was pressed against him as his arms held her close to him. "Marly's a perv." Lily mumbled and James laughed harder, pulled her to the couch and settled her down, the two of them sitting knee to knee.

"And why's that?"

"Well, she's my best mate," Lily started, hoping that he wouldn't be annoyed by what she'd said, "So I was telling her about last night, and well, she started talking about shagging. And you, and the other girls, and I wanted her to shut up and now I can't stop thinking about it." She mumbled and closed her eyes, not wanting to look at James.

"There aren't any." His voice was soft, his hand on her knee. Lily looked up at him with a frown, curiously looking him over. "Lily." He slid closer to her. "I fancied you from the moment I saw you at platform 9 ¾ when we were eleven. I fell in love with you sometime during fifth year, the exact point escapes me. I haven't had time to shag other girls." He admitted softly.

"Why?" There was no real reason she would want to know that, but the curiosity was killing her.

"I guess I was always holding out for you." He looked embarrassed, shy, and vulnerable. "I mean I've snogged a girl or two trying to get over you, but it didn't ever work." He shrugged.

"When did you try to get over me?" Lily asked curiously, a part of her secretly enjoying how he was squirming.

"Er, fourth year." James slid his hand on her knee and took one of her hands in his other. "Didn't work, Padfoot –er, Sirius- pointed out that both of them were redheads and I gave up."

"Jeannie Parker?" Lily blinked for a moment before laughing. "You snogged Jeannie Parker?" James scowled at her, sending Lily into a fit of giggles. "Oh Lord, James." She slid close to him and kissed his inflamed cheek. He turned his head and smiled at her softly, and Lily giggled again before she pressed her mouth gently to his. James held her mouth as long as she'd let him, finally happy she was letting him within touching distance of her, let alone voluntarily snogging.

"I love you, Lily." James murmured when she pulled away. "I mean it when I said I'd wait forever."

"Thank you, James." Lily smiled weakly. "I feel better." She kissed him again before she stood and went for her door, but he caught her hand.

"Where are you going?" He pleaded, tugging at her hand.

"I'm going to get my Transfiguration book, and you're going to help me." Lily grinned and pulled her hand from his, disappearing into her room for a few minutes, coming out with her books and falling back onto the couch next to him, her back pressed against his chest.

Studying had never felt so good. James kept one hand on Lily's waist, the other pointing out Transfiguration terms in the book while he explained them in soft tones, his mouth hovering over her ear, tickling the wisps of hair that fell there. Lily snuggled into him, and it took James at least fifteen minutes of talking about transfiguring inanimate objects into animals before he realized she'd fallen asleep. Actually it was when she turned, nuzzled her face into his neck and sighed that he realized she was asleep. In fact it was that slight sigh that made electric shocks fire down his spine.

"James." She murmured his name and he froze. She was still asleep. A giddy smile nearly became permanently stuck on his face as the realization that Lily had murmured _his_ name in her sleep. She loved him. She may not know it yet, but she loved him, and he'd wait for her to realize it forever.

"Lily."

She cracked her eyes open and looked over at the guy sleeping next to her, his head leaning on hers. He'd murmured her name in his sleep, or maybe he was pretending. Lily smiled anyway; he was adorable in his sleep. He was a man she could love. He made her stomach flip, her mind spin, and…

Oh God. Lily sat up straight all of a sudden, making James jump behind her, his mind clouded from sleep. "What? Lily, are you ok?"

"I'm fine." She stared at the wall in surprise before she whirled to face him, her hair brushing his face, making him blink away in shock. "James, I love you." She breathed out, the words sliding out easily, and solidly. The surprise on James' face was replaced by a giddy grin.

"I love you too, Lily." He replied and kissed her softly. She turned and slid into his lap, straddling his knees as she deepened the kiss. James felt his hands go to her hips and hold her while she assaulted his mouth with hers, breaking from it to kiss his jawline down his neck. "Oh bloody hell." He groaned as her hands roamed his body, one on his chest, the other running through his hair.

"Is it too much?" Lily asked breathlessly, looking at him with a glint in her eyes.

"Oh hell no." James kissed her solidly, sliding his hands down to her thighs and rubbed them gently. "Lily." He murmured softly.

"James." She pulled away and smiled at him weakly. "I just…"

"Shh, I know." He kissed her softly. "No pressure, I love you."

"I love you too." She giggled as she said it. "James Potter, I love you. I don't think I'll ever get tired of saying that."

"Lily Evans, I hope you don't." He grinned and pushed her into the couch, capturing her lips with his.


End file.
